Titanic sub investigation enters new phase as voice recordings are recovered
A probe into the events that led up to the fatal implosion of a submersible destined for the Titanic ruins is entering a new phase. Investigators have now recovered voice recordings from the mother ship, the Polar Prince, which carried the vessel and its five occupants to the wreckage site.
Investigators also spoke with surviving family members while onboard the ship. Kathy Fox, chair of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, told CNN they hoped to “collect information from the vessel’s voyage data recorder and other vessel systems that contain useful information.” She clarified that the collection of the ship’s systems was to “find out what happened and why, and to find out what needs to change to reduce the chance of the risk of such occurrences in the future.”
The OceanGate craft lost communication with its host during its descent into the Atlantic Ocean. The deteriorating wreckage of the Titanic, which sank in 1912, is located 12,500 feet below the ocean’s surface. On board were billionaire Hamish Harding, father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood, voyager Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush. The five-person crew set out on the luxury exploration on June 18. That evening, when they failed to reemerge, the U.S. Coast Guard was notified.
The dayslong search efforts to recover the vessel and its passengers enlisted resources from other countries as well. On June 22, it was announced that all five men were presumed dead. In a released statement, OceanGate said, “We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet have sadly been lost. These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans. Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew.”
Trending Stories
